The first game of the season proved to be a perfect example of how fundamentals can win a basketball game as the No. 5-ranked Wadsworth Lady Grizzlies connected on 12 of 13 fourth-quarter free throws to close out a 62-53 win over the No. 17 Strongsville Lady Mustangs on Friday night. Wadsworth senior guard Taylor Woods converted all six...
The first game of the season proved to be a perfect example of how fundamentals can win a basketball game as the No. 5-ranked Wadsworth Lady Grizzlies connected on 12 of 13 fourth-quarter free throws to close out a 62-53 win over the No. 17 Strongsville Lady Mustangs on Friday night.
Wadsworth senior guard Taylor Woods converted all six of her fourth-quarter free throws and turned a five-point lead into an 11-point advantage in the game's final seconds. Eleven of Woods' 14 points came at the free-throw line.
"I was just pretending it was practice because we always practice free throws," Woods said. "I actually imagined there was no one in the gym and I was just sitting there shooting by myself. In practice, we do a lot of pressure situations, end-of-game stuff and that's what we practiced and worked for."
Wadsworth entered the fourth quarter with a 48-43 lead, which was built by the strong shooting of Lady Grizzlies junior guard Kara Long. She led the team with 15 points, 12 of which came in the second and third quarters, where Wadsworth outscored Strongsville by a combined 32-25 count.
"We just got into the flow of the game and everything was flowing well," Long said. "The first varsity game of the season, everybody's really nervous. You don't know how your team's going to look. Both teams played really hard and when you play hard, good things happen."
When Strongsville needed a fourth-quarter run, it relied on the team and not just one individual.
Lauren Vagt converted a lay-up, while Carly Thomas, Erica Schultz and Audrey Smolik followed with jump shots from the lane, wing and baseline, respectively.
Smolik poured in a game-high 21 points, while Thomas and Vagt added 15 and nine, respectively, which helped the Lady Mustangs take a three-point lead, 51-48, at the midway point of the fourth quarter.
The Lady Mustangs held Wadsworth to just one field goal over the final eight minutes. However, that one field goal came at a critical juncture. Down by a point after Strongsville started the fourth on an 8-0 run, Wadsworth's Jessie Gearhart registered a steal when the Mustangs lost possession while Trying to beat the pressure near half court.
Gearhart picked up the ball, drove to the hoop, converted a layup and drew the fifth foul from Strongsville's Nicole Lisi. After Gearhart's layup, the Lady Grizzlies remained in front for good.
"We were on a roll and I think their pressure does wear you down at some point," said Jeff Eicher, Strongsville's first-year coach."''"
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